Today is July 17th and it marks the first day of a 17 day journey for me, how fitting! I am heading into unfamiliar territory for the most part, but some of it will feel like home. I will explain the details as I go as I am planning to post everyday if possible.
After I started my blog about two years ago, I took a trip to Japan to find some peace and comfort after my marriage ended. I posted pieces from my journey daily and I am excited to do that once again. Travel and writing are two of my passions so I feel blessed to be able to do both! I hope you will follow along with me!
Today I took a spur of the moment road trip about three hours north to see my favorite band perform. Dave Matthews Band has been inspiring me since 1994??? But I did not have the opportunity to see them perform live until 2002. My first show was at “Deer Creek” amphitheater in Noblesville, IN. The first song they played that night was “The Stone”…I was hooked by their live performance that night and I have been going back to see them at different venues every year since then.
Tonight I went to that very same venue in IN and although it has a different name now…it felt like home. (As I mentioned, some parts of my Summer journey will feel like home). And guess what song they played first tonight? THE STONE! A band that has several hundred songs they can play any given night…and the first song of the night was the first song I ever heard them perform? It made me cry! (There is ALWAYS one song that hits me emotionally).
*** I must add a side note. I found out later that I missed the first three songs of the show last night because I arrived late due to the weather! They played Let You Down which hasn’t been played live since 1997!!! The first one I heard was The Stone…and I prefer to think of it as the first song still…because it fits my story! I hope to hear let you down one day! 🙂 I am not let down…I was just happy to be there!
I have come a very long way since the summer of 2002. So many things have happened since then and so many things have changed but my love for this band and their music remains constant. I can write a book about it! I will not bore you non-DMB fans however. See them live in concert sometime and believe me you will get it!
As I was driving this afternoon, the clouds started rolling in. I could not take a great picture but I have never seen a cloud quite as intimidating as the one I will post. And the photo does not do it justice. IT WAS SCARY. But I drove carefully through the storm and on the horizon I saw a patch of sunlight and thought to myself…that must be where Dave is!!! And sure enough…
My first husband and I used to joke about the rain and DMB shows. Without fail, it ALWAYS rained when we attended a concert! But magically as Dave rolled into town, the clouds parted and the sun shined bright. It just happens like that and it did tonight in the same fashion. When God brings that many people together to celebrate…”ain’t nothing gonna hold us back!”
And that is how I feel about my journey which I am about to embark on. There will be new experiences and plenty of unknowns, but GOD’s got this! I am coming through to the other side of my storm. I am coming out of my cocoon and I will soon be flying!
There are so many song lyrics I could quote here but this one seems most fitting:
“Pig”
How we move our lives for another day
Like skipping a beat
What if a great wave should wash us all away
Just thinking out loud
Don’t mean to dwell on this dying thing
But looking at blood
It’s alive right now
Deep and sweet within
Pouring through our veins
Intoxicate moving wine to tears
Drinking it deep
Then an evening spent dancing
It’s you and me
This love will open our world
From the dark side we can see a glow of something bright
There’s much more than we see here
Don’t burn the day away
Is this not enough
This blessed sip of life
Is it not enough
Staring down at the ground
Oh then complain and pray more from above
Greedy little pig
Stop just watch your world trickle away
Oh it’s your problem now
It’ll all be dead and gone in a few short years
Just love will open our eyes
Just love will put the hope in our minds
Much more than we could ever know
Don’t burn the day away
Come sister my brother
Shake up your bones shake up your feet
I’m saying open up
And let the rain come pouring in
Wash out this tired notion
That the best is yet to come
But while you’re dancing on the ground
Don’t think of when you’re gone
Love love what more is there
We need the light of love in here
Don’t beat your head
Dry your eyes
Let the love in there
There are bad times
But that’s ok
Just look for love in it
Don’t burn the day away
Look
Here are we
On this starry night staring into space
And I must say
I feel as small as dust
Lying down here
What point could there be troubling
Head down wondering what will become of me
Why concern we cannot see
But no reason to abandon it
Time is short but that’s all right
Maybe I’ll go in the middle of the night
Take your hands from your eyes, my love
Everything must end some time
Don’t burn the day away
Come sister my brother
Shake up your bones shake up your feet
I’m saying open up
And let the rain come flooding in
Wash out this tired notion
That the best is yet to come
But while you’re dancing on the ground
Don’t think of when you’re gone
Love love what more is there
We need the light of love in here
Don’t beat your head
Dry your eyes
Let the love in there
There are bad times
But that’s ok
Just look for love in it